Reflection on Philippians 4:6-7 and Matthew 6:5-8

 

Philippians 4:6-7

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:5-18

⁵ “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. ⁶ But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.^[a]

⁷ “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

 

Reflection

Do you follow Jesus around until your prayer is answered?  Do you pursue him, or do you tend to try to fix everything yourself, not wanting to bother God?

You see, I think a lot about those two blind men in Matthew 9:27-30 who heard Jesus pass by and then followed the sound of his footsteps and cried out after him, “Have mercy on us, Son of David” (Matthew 9:27).  The guys did not give up.  They followed him around.  They followed him into the house.  They went to Jesus with their need.  They talked with Jesus, and Jesus healed their blindness.  It is a story about prayer.

“How?” you might ask.  Sure, there were no knees bent and hands folded.  They did not go to church or light a candle.  And even though those are all shapes that prayer can take, prayer is none other than talking with God and trusting that God will listen and do something.

“Jesus said to [the two blind men], ‘Do you have faith that I can do this?’  They said to him, ‘Yes, Lord.’  Then he touched their eyes and said ‘According to your faith, let it be done to you.’  And their eyes were opened” (Matthew 9:28-30).

We might say, “Sure, it is easy to talk with Jesus and trust in him if we can see him right before our eyes.”  But that is the point of the story, is it not?  They were blind.  They saw Jesus no better than we see him today.  Yet, they pursued him, spoke to him, and trusted that the one they could not see could do something.

How many times have I simply got stuck in my anxiety, in my own head, thinking endlessly through the night about how to deal with my situation?  It is almost as if I continually forget that there is someone to whom I can talk and who will listen and act.

The Apostle Paul advises: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.   And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

In today’s words he said, “Instead of being anxious about everything, talk to God and God will trade your worthless anxiety for a priceless shield of peace.” 

Talk to God.  Put your hearts and minds side-by-side with Christ Jesus.  The one who went to the cross to die for you will certainly take the time to listen to you.  The one who traded death with you so that you could have eternal life certainly has the time to give you some peace.  In fact, nothing would delight Jesus more.  Jesus wants nothing more than to be close to your minds and hearts.  Jesus wants nothing more than to walk and talk with you. Jesus invites you to open your eyes to his presence and pray.  Maybe you will finally be able to see clearly?

I think that this is why Jesus abhors those who use prayer to show off.  Jesus is not happy with the simple appearance of a close relationship with him.  Praying loudly in the church and on the street corner to appear as if we are really close to God might do a lot for our own ego, but it does not have anything to do with God.  If prayer becomes about show, then go shut yourself away in your room Jesus says.  “Pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6).

Again, prayer is about being seen by God, not by others.  It is about talking with God.  It is about being of one mind with Jesus.  It is about being in a close relationship with our loving savior.

So next time that you feel the anxiety starting to take hold, rather than fix the world’s problems yourself, or even your own problems, seek Jesus out in prayer.  You just may find yourself in the presence of the one who will see you and answer.